Charity gaming marathon Desert Bus for Hope raises $730,000

The Desert Bus for Hope crew has closed out its 12th annual fundraiser, bringing in a record-breaking $730,099 for Child’s Play and pushing the event’s lifetime funds raised to over $5.2 million. 

Every year, Desert Bus for Hope streams a multi-day marathon of volunteers and guests playing the infamous Desert Bus level in the unreleased Penn & Teller’s Smoke and Mirrors Sega CD game, a level that tasks its players with driving a bus from Tucson and Las Vegas in real time.

The event keeps going for as long as the donations roll in, and this year’s marathon saw streamers steering the bus for a record-breaking 160 hours, all while for-charity auctions and some wholesome shenanigans took place in the background. The 2018 Desert Bus for Hope marathon also saw a $12,000 bid for an on-stream auction, the largest single bid in the event’s history.